American Lit Vocabulary Unit 1

approbation n. the expression of approval or praise syn. approval, Commendation, sanction ant. disapproval, censure Saban gives his team another sign of approbation as they win the National Title. HINT: a = not, without; If you have people’s approbation, you will most likely NOT be on PROBATION (a state or period of being on test or trial)

assuage v.to make easier or milder, to calm or to quench, to appease or satisfy syn. mitigate, alleviate ant. Intensify, aggravate, exacerbate Granny can assuage your hunger with a homemade Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit..

coalition n. a combination, union or merger syn. alliance, league, ant. splinter group The United States created the coalition that defeated Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. HINT: co = with; The United Nations is a coalition of world leader representatives developed to try to keep world order.

decadence n. decline and decay; a period of decline and decay; excessive self indulgence syn. Degeneration ant. rise, growth, development SENTENCE Some musicians may experience a time of decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder. HINT: If you eat a chocolate bar every day for a decade, your desire for chocolate (or at least your figure) will likely decay; mmmmm….give me a bowl of Chocolate Decadence ice cream!!!

elicit v. to draw forth or to bring out from some source syn. Call forth, evoke, extract, Educe ant. Repress, quash, stifle SENTENCE A teacher’s question may elicit several responses from the class. HINT: When investigators elicit a confession, they must licit (listen ;-0) very closely.

expostulate v. to attempt to dissuade someone from course or decision by earnest reasoning syn. Protest, remonstrate, complain Though it was a scorching 98 degrees outside, Bernie dressed in the chicken outfit in an attempt to expostulate against the harmful effects of eating fast food. HINT: ex = out, away, from. POST a notice before it’s too LATE to get them out or away from what they are doing.

hackneyed adj. Used so often as to lack freshness or originality syn. banal, trite, common place, corny ant. new, fresh, novel, original “to be honest” “actually” “don’t just talk the talk; you got to walk the walk” “when I get around to it” “the fact of the matter is” “in conclusion” “first of all” Ms. Thompson said I must “hack” away at the hackneyed phrases in my essay if I expected to earn an A. HINT: in the old days, you would hire a hackney (a coach for hire drawn by horses) to get you from one place to another; that idea, today, is rather banal or commonplace (so are the cabs/taxis that carry people – yuck!)

hiatus n. a gap, an opening, or a break syn. pause, lacuna ant. continuity, continuation Joe’s doctor informed him that he would need to take a hiatus from table tennis for about ten weeks since he broke his arm while trying to carry his girlfriend’s purse.

innuendo n. A hint or indirect suggestion or reference (often in a derogatory sense) syn. Insinuation or intimation ant. direct statement The gangster’s innuendo, “Nice store you got there. Would be a real shame if something happened to it,” made me cringe.

intercede v. To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go- between in a disagreement syn. intervene, mediate Since Hailey and Casey could not get a long, my brother-in-law decided to intercede and tape the two of them together! HINT: inter = between; cede = withdraw, yield

jaded Adj. wearied, worn-out, dulled syn. Sated, surfeited, cloyed ant. Unspoiled, uncloyed The jaded Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times. HINT: jade used to be a popular stone; today, most jaded jewelry is worn out and dull due to excessive wear; the same can happen to people – when you’ve done something so long you’re terribly tired of doing it, you are said to be jaded – even if it started out as a good thing

lurid adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; pale in color; lack of restraint syn. gruesome, gory, grisly, ghastly ant. pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome The clown’s lurid appearance frightened Jesse so much that he could not sleep alone at night for three solid days. HINT: the lurid details of a gruesome scene tend to lure people in; hence the fascination with ‘slasher’ movies

merit orious adj. worthy, deserving recognition, or praise syn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendable ant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable In recognition of all her meritorious efforts in the relief work, Dresden received a certificate. HINT: merit = reward; scouts earn merit badges for a job well done

petulant adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset syn. Irritable, testy, waspish ant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable Acting like a petulant tortoise, Tommy decided to crawl home rather than make amends with the red globidydook. HINT: when your treat your children like pampered pets, they are likely to become petulant (and very annoying!!!)

prerogative n. a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence syn. perk, perquisite Brittany Spears thinks she has a prerogative to change her mind about going on tour, despite the fact that thousands of fans have already bought their tickets. Continued on next slide

prerogative Chorus of “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown Everybody’s talking all this stuff about me Why don’t they just let me live? Tell me why I don’t need commission Make my own decisions That’s my prerogative It’s my prerogative (it’s my prerogative) It’s the way that I wanna live (it’s my prerogative) I can do just what I feel (it’s my prerogative) No one can tell me what to do (it’s my prerogative) Cause what I’m doing I’m doing for you

provincial adj. pertaining to an outlying area, local, narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward n. A person with a narrow point of view syn. narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïve Ant. cosmopolitan, broad- minded The Puritans cast their provincial eyes on Hester as she tightly holds Pearl. HINT: province = in a country, everything except the cities

simulate v. to make a pretense of; to imitate, to show the outer signs of syn. feign, pretend, affect The video game SIMS simulates real life. Even the settings are realistic! HINT: sim = same

transcend v. to rise above or beyond; exceed syn. surpass, outstrip Sister Madonna Buder transcended everyone’s expectations. As the oldest triathlete, Sister Madonna has competed in more than 300 races and is 78 years young! HINT: trans = across; Middle English, from Latin transcendere to climb across, transcend, from trans- + scandere to climb; opposite of descend

umbrage n. shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion syn. irritation, pique, annoyance ant. Pleasure, delight, satisfaction One of my fondest childhood memories is when all of my family would gather underneath the umbrage of a Mimosa tree to shell peas and listen to my grandparents’ storytelling. HINT: like an UMBRella, umbrage tends to cover, or overshadow

unctuous adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying too and to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliable syn. mealymouthed, servile, fawning, greasy ant. Gruff, blunt Being naïve, I looked past his unctuous behavior and said yes when he asked me out.

unctuous Unctuous describes a person who has many of the same characteristics as an unction or ointment: appearing to help, greasy, smooth Continued on next slide HINT: an unction is an ointment or unguent used for healing or rituals; an ointment is made by combining a greasy, fatty substance (like Vaseline) with medicines or herbs Professor Severus Snape